Tag: drabble

Hello everyone and welcome to the fortieth month of this competition! Last month I received 36 entries from 20 authors for the theme of ‘the end’. NB You can all send in three stories (one per form please) for a better chance of being picked!

One was disqualified for being 101 words, only because two words had been incorrectly fused. A real shame as it was a super story.

The winning stories are ones that I reacted most favourably to… usually making me go “Wow”. They were clever, surprising, eek-making (in a good way),or gave me a warm fuzzy feeling (without being sickly). Sometimes a story beats another because it has a strong link to the theme so it’s worth writing a story to the theme rather than tweaking a story you already have to loosely fit it. If I get to the end of a story and go “Huh?” it doesn’t bode well.

You may have chosen a different order or indeed not placed one or more of them so if you entered and didn’t find your story / stories here, don’t lose heart. You probably only just missed out so do enter new stories this month*, next month, whenever you like (but not in advance!). It’s an ongoing competition and free, so you could win at any time. There were new and familiar names this month so anyone could win… it’s all dependent upon whether your story grabs me, for whatever reason (whether it be clever, funny, unusual, quirky, or sweet).

Apart from the top three and highly commended, there are some ‘Honourable Mentions’. They don’t win anything but they were so close to being Highly Commended that I wanted them to know how close they came. It’s still something for them to put on their CVs.

Ironically, the cockroaches died first. They emerged from their crannies during the night and never made it back the next morning. They were the most noticeable casualties. Then, when all the insects had gone, birds tumbled from the skies. The ground dried up, desiccated. Mankind was the last species to give up the struggle to breathe the coppery atmosphere. Eventually the world fell silent and barren.
God did not know or care. He had grown up and stopped playing with his toys. His mother sighed and rebuked him for littering. She tossed the empty ball into a nearby black hole.

Jeremy Chotzen with ‘Auntie May – The Professional’Auntie May was a professional.At the wake, they dressed her in shiny black leathers and knee-high boots (her working clothes) and painted her lips cherry red, the way she liked them. Despite the hole in her forehead, the size of a pothole, they managed to fill it all in.
Of the mourners who came, some offered up prayers, and others their silence, while I sobbed bitterly for my Auntie May.
Sure she bludgeoned dozens in their prime for unpaid debts, with a steak knife to the throat or bullet through the heart.
She was a professional to the end.

*

Karen Lawrence with ‘A Shorter Forever’She kissed my bald head, wiping my tears with a shaky hand.
‘It’ll be okay.’
I shook my head. ‘How can it be? You’re leaving me.’
‘But I’ll be here.’ She placed her hand over my heart.
The nurse approached with my discharge paperwork.
‘I don’t want to leave you alone,’ I whispered. ‘I thought we’d be friends forever.’
‘We are, but my forever is shorter than yours.’
‘I wish I could believe in an afterlife.’
‘I do.’ She laughed. ‘I’ll warn Saint Peter to expect you, just not yet.’
As I walked away, I knew she was crying too.

Astra Lowelle with ‘A Battle Lost’Gwerthfawr knew that he had lost the fight with Mynydd when frost began to steal over him. He twisted violently, struggling to escape the chill tendrils creeping swiftly up his body, freezing armor and muscle alike. His sword fell from his hands as they crackled into white stiffness.
“This isn’t over!” Gwerthfawr howled, his throat icing over. “This isn’t over! Do you hear me, Mynydd? This isn’t the end!”
Mynydd’s soft laugh mingled with the last echoes of the lingering roar as she appraised the lifeless statue of ice before her.
The enchantress vanished as the snow began to fall.

*

Caroline Cowan with ‘Lonely’The loneliness was constant. No phone calls. No visitors.
Maggie had been moved into a flat as her home was being demolished. She was the last of her friends and family to be living.
Her bony hand pulled the blanket more snuggly around her, keeping her warm.
She lay back, closed her eyes, and enjoyed the special times spent with all her friends.
The warmth and love of everyone filled the room. She sensed her time on this earth was nearing its end, and she welcomed it.
The police found her body, but her soul was dancing with her friends.

Honourable mentions (not winning anything but only narrowly missing out and still looking good on their CV) – in alphabetical order:

Alan Barker with ‘Light At The End Of The Tunnel’

Barbara Young with ‘Doubting Thomas’

Ian Marshall with ‘Miniature Railway’

Juan Andrés González Romero with ‘Pulling the Trigger’

*

Congratulations, everyone. The entries for this month are already drifting in. Remember, you can send up to three per month so rather than miss out on a chance by sending one story, do submit more.

If you’ve enjoyed these stories and / or just want to leave a comment, please do so below and / or you can email me at morgen@morgenbailey.com., although I won’t (can’t) discuss forthcoming entries unless it’s a general query.

Hello everyone and welcome to the thirty-ninth month of this competition! Last month I received 37 entries from 18 authors for the theme of ‘owing a debt’. NB You can all send in three stories for a better chance of being picked!

One was disqualified for only being 99 words and sadly the author had realised just after hitting send. Fortunately there were still a couple of days until the deadline so enough time to write two more, making the three maximum.

Another story appeared to be 101 but there was a space between a word and closing speech marks so when corrected, it was the obligatory 100. Yay.

A third was 99 words, probably because there was a hyphen (which Word counts as a word) instead of a dash.

The winning stories are ones that I reacted most favourably to. They were clever, surprising, eek-making (in a good way),or gave me a warm fuzzy feeling (without being sickly). Sometimes a story beats another because it has a stronger link to the theme so it’s worth writing a story to the theme rather than tweaking a story you already have to loosely fit it.

You may have chosen a different order or indeed not placed one or more of them so if you entered and didn’t find your story / stories here, don’t lose heart. You probably only just missed out so do enter new stories this month*, next month, whenever you like (but not in advance!). It’s an ongoing competition and free, so you could win at any time. There were new and familiar names this month so anyone could win… it’s all dependent upon whether your story grabs me, for whatever reason (whether it be clever, funny, unusual, quirky, or sweet).

Apart from the top three and highly commended, there are some ‘Honourable Mentions’. They don’t win anything but they were so close to being Highly Commended that I wanted them to know how close they came. It’s still something for them to put on their CVs.

Rachel Barnett with ‘Owing a Debt’The jolt as we hit the jump almost unseated me, the horse twisting in the air, fighting gravity. On landing I knew. A loud crack, like a thunderbolt.
He stayed on his feet, God knows how. Determined to protect me, I believe. He stood, flanks heaving, whilst the others galloped away.
Slipping to the ground, a single look told me this horse would never gallop again. One foreleg twisted, the knee joint buckled and horribly misshapen.
If he’d fallen on me…
I touched the dark sweat-slicked neck. I owe him a debt I can never repay. ‘Thank you,’ I breathed.

*

and Stuart Atkinson with ‘Lost Voice’The ocean was strewn with wreckage and debris, with bodies bobbing up and down in the iceberg sea.
Ernie McPhail, a Glaswegian stoker, struggled for survival in the freezing waters. Although he was a burly man, the burden of supporting Alfie sapped his strength.
Through the darkness a voice called. “Give me the boy.”
Ernie managed to push Alfie up the side of the lifeboat as a fearsome wave washed over him.
Alone, a young man stands on the well-manicured lawn of the Halifax Cemetery besides a common unmarked grave.
His voice is lost as the wind howls around him.

Val Fish with ‘Payday’It had started off so tiny, but then, multiplying like a cancer, growing into a monster, which ultimately destroyed her.
She’d had enough of the constant fear, every day dreading that knock at the door, knowing that whatever she said would make no difference, her pleas would go unheard.
Well, they could knock as loudly as they liked tomorrow, they’d be getting no answer from her. Or the day after, or the day after that. Maybe they’d bash the door down and then they’d be in for a shock.
The greedy heartless loan sharks would get nothing from a corpse.

Barbara Young with ‘Purgatory’“William, I’ve sponsored five decades of your decadent living.” Lucifer’s horns glow red. “Time to pay your dues.”
“It was worth it,” I say. “I’ll willingly stoke your fires for eternity.”
Lucifer laughs. “Your capacity for evil is totally average; you certainly don’t merit that prime position. I have something a little more mundane in mind.”
Unsure of what energy source he uses, I have visions of hacking coal with my teeth. “I’m not as fit as I was.”
“No matter. You will remain here on earth. As befits your tedious nature, you are to be the next Brexit minister.”

Honourable mentions (not winning anything but only narrowly missing out and still looking good on their CV) – in alphabetical order:

Andy Morfett with ‘The Debt’

Jennie Cordner with ‘A Kick in the Stomach’

Lesley McLean with ‘The Trollop Who Saved My Ass’

Lestie Mulholland with ‘A Whisper in the Woods’

Sarah Mosedale with ‘Spanish Castle Magic’

*

Congratulations, everyone. The entries for this month are already drifting in. Remember, you can send up to three per month so rather than miss out on a chance by sending one story, do submit more.

If you’ve enjoyed these stories and / or just want to leave a comment, please do so below and / or you can email me at morgen@morgenbailey.com, although I won’t (can’t) discuss forthcoming entries unless it’s a general query.

Hello everyone and welcome to the thirty-eighth month of this competition! Last month I received a whopping 62 entries from 34 authors for the theme of ‘departure’. So especially tough this month to pick a top thirteen (ish). In fact I didn’t so there are two seconds, two thirds and several more honourably mentions this month. 🙂 NB You can all send in three stories for a better chance of being picked! At the time of writing this (20th November), there have been eleven entries but then I do usually get a flurry towards the end of the month (and sometimes within the last couple of hours).

This time, one story was disqualified for being 104 words but fortunately the author had sent two other stories, one of which was my favourite of the three so no harm done. Another was 101 with no obvious reason for the extra word. Another was 97 because the author had counted a hyphen / dash as a word… or more likely, Word had counted the standalone – hyphens in the word count so that when I corrected them to the longer – dash, the word count dropped. 😦

A story was disqualified for being a tweaked version of a previously submitted story. The rules do state that the first version only will be accepted.

Another author submitting three stories had one disqualified for being 99 words. Another author submitting two stories had one of them with two words that should have been hyphenated taking the story down to 99 words. Another the opposite; had a hyphenated word where the description was an …ly adverb so no hyphen required, taking it up to 101.

Another story lost points for having ‘breathe’ (verb) instead of ‘breath’ (noun). The author had already sent in a different story which I preferred so ultimately it didn’t matter.

This probably all sounds very harsh but I need to be fair to everyone. Oh, and underfoot is one word not two. 😦

A little tip for you: where you have more than one character of the same gender in a story, do make sure that every time you have a ‘he’ or a ‘she’ it refers to the character just mentioned. Even if you don’t have any names,

The winning stories are ones that I reacted most favourably to. They were clever, surprising, eek-making (in a good way),or gave me a warm fuzzy feeling (without being sickly). Sometimes a story beats another because it has a stronger link to the theme so it’s worth writing a story to the theme rather than tweaking a story you already have to loosely fit it.

You may have chosen a different order or indeed not placed one or more of them so if you entered and didn’t find your story / stories here, don’t lose heart. You probably only just missed out so do enter new stories this month*, next month, whenever you like (but not in advance!). It’s an ongoing competition and free, so you could win at any time. There were new and familiar names this month so anyone could win… it’s all dependent upon whether your story grabs me, for whatever reason (whether it be clever, funny, unusual, quirky, or sweet).

Apart from the top three and highly commended, there are some ‘Honourable Mentions’. They don’t win anything but they were so close to being Highly Commended that I wanted them to know how close they came. It’s still something for them to put on their CVs.

*The theme for November is ‘owing a debt’ – to be used however you wish – and you can submit your entries (and do send three) at any time up to midnight (UK time) on Friday 30th November. Details and entry forms on https://morgenbailey.wordpress.com/100-word-free-monthly-competition. So without further ado, below are the successful entries this month.

The king had planned every move and counter move from the start. Seduce her. Get married. Mould her into who he wanted her to be.
He surveyed the emotional chessboard in his mind and considered options. If she did this next, then I did that, she’d be conquered. I’d declare victory. But what if she changed tactics? He pondered a myriad of scenarios.
Meanwhile, his opponent’s disengaged. The queen can move in any direction. She has. To a new town. A new life. Far from him. The deluded king, absorbed in his strategies, hasn’t realised he was always her pawn.

Celia Jenkins with ‘Departure from Reality as I Take the Big Black Dog for a Walk’

I know who I am. I wake, work, eat, sleep… live.
And then the transition from my normal mind, gloom at bay, just living my life, happens in a beating of charcoal wings, pure pitch darkness, every ounce of my being enveloped, the big black dog sighing on my chest once again; sinking, drowning, I’m lost in the fug, the haze, breath caught in my throat, catching, can’t think, can’t think, can’t breathe, I’m gone. Downwards. Spiralling. Despair.
Then suddenly, like a brick to the back of the head, the depression recedes and I return to who I was. Breathe.

*

Karen Lawrence with ‘Making Way’

She watched his chest rise and fall, holding her breath every time it seemed his stopped. At ninety-seven her father should be ready to leave. He had a firm belief in an afterlife, which gave Muriel comfort. Aware that her granddaughter was, at that moment, giving birth to the first of their next generation she found her emotions irrational, demanding he should wait to hear, impatient for him to depart. A sound signalled a text.
‘Dad, he’s here now. A strapping boy, like you hoped. They’re calling him Alexander after you.’
He let go, making space for the new life.

“I thought it would be hotter,” the woman said, as she leaned back and enjoyed the warmth on her face. “This is nice, but I just expected more heat.”
“It’s a common misconception about this place,” her companion replied. “It’s actually pretty comfortable all year round. You don’t want to burn or get heatstroke on your first day, do you?”
The woman smiled. She had been so worried about this trip but it was turning out to be quite pleasant.
The devil smiled too. He loved messing with the new people. Wait until she realised this room had air conditioning.

*

Rachel Barnett with ‘The Actor’

George Departure. You know? Foreign. Big nose. Acted in loads of eighties rom-com films, even though he resembles the back end of a bus.’
I shook my head. ‘No idea who you mean, sorry.’ I reached for my glass, draining it. ‘Give me another clue.’
‘You must know. He was in “Cyrano de Bergerac”.’
‘Steve Martin?’
Bernice frowned. ‘No. George Departure. He’s French. I told you.’
‘Hang on, do you mean Gerard Depardieu?’
‘Yes, that’s what I said. George Departure. Do you know who I mean now?’
I nodded, grinning as I lifted our empty glasses. ‘Fancy the same again?’

Congratulations, everyone. The entries for this month are already drifting in. Remember, you can send up to three per month so rather than miss out on a chance by sending one story, do submit more.

If you’ve enjoyed these stories and / or just want to leave a comment, please do so below and / or you can email me at morgen@morgenbailey.com., although I won’t (can’t) discuss forthcoming entries unless it’s a general query.

Welcome to Flash Fiction Friday (albeit on the Saturday!) and the one hundred and ninety-second piece in this series. This is the forty-fifth bunch of 6-word stories by a variety of authors, together with their 6-word biographies!

If you’d like to submit your 6-worders (up to ten per blog post, although you can send as many as you like and I’ll either pick the best ones or if I like most / all of them, schedule ahead) and / or 500-word max. stories for considerationfor Flash Fiction Friday take a lookhere.

Hello everyone and welcome to the thirty-seventh month of this competition! In September I received 34 entries from 18 authors for the theme of ‘complex’. NB. You can all send in three stories for a better chance of being picked!

One was disqualified for only being 99 words with no apparent reason why. Another was the same but had a one-word title so I assume that had been included. It’s a shame as few competitions (if any) include the title in their word counts. Another was one word over because two words had been hyphenated that shouldn’t have been (light bulb, only hyphenated when preceding a noun, e.g. light-bulb moment). It’s a shame because it was really funny. I had to be fair to everyone and change it. Fortunately the author had already submitted another story which I’d scored higher anyway so no harm done but worth mentioning so you’re careful with your submission (and are aware how tough I am!).

Another author, who had fortunately submitted three stories, lost marks on one for the wrong word choice (boasting instead of boosting).

Sadly I had to disqualify one of my favourite stories because there were two words that should have been hyphenated (‘open-handed’ preceding a noun, not if alone), bringing the story down to 99 words. Fortunately, the author had sent another story so that went through to the scoring. Another 99-word story started as 100 words but hadn’t hyphenated ‘two hour’ which should have been hyphenated as preceding a noun.

Another (fabulous) story was disqualified for two unhyphenated words – sorry I’m being tough this month! When you talk about a person’s age, they are, for example six but calling him or her a six-year-old child then it’s hyphenated. This time, the author had sent two other stories but one of those was also disqualified for being hyphenated (something being fool proof rather than a fool-proof plan) so the remaining story went through. It’s clearly the month for hyphens!

At one point there were four winning stories, two second placed and three thirds so I had to do a lot of juggling, focussing on which fitted closest to the theme, while still ultimately choosing my favourites.

The winning stories are ones that I reacted most favourably to. They were clever, surprising, eek-making (in a good way),or gave me a warm fuzzy feeling (without being sickly). Sometimes a story beats another because it has a strong link to the theme so it’s worth writing a story to the theme rather than tweaking a story you already have to loosely fit it.

You may have chosen a different order or indeed not placed one or more of them so if you entered and didn’t find your story / stories here, don’t lose heart. You probably only just missed out so do enter new stories this month*, next month, whenever you like (but not in advance!). It’s an ongoing competition and free, so you could win at any time. There were new and familiar names this month so anyone could win… it’s all dependent upon whether your story grabs me, for whatever reason (whether it be clever, funny, unusual, quirky, or sweet).

Apart from the top three and highly commended, there are some ‘Honourable Mentions’. They don’t win anything but they were so close to being Highly Commended that I wanted them to know how close they came. It’s still something for them to put on their CVs.

Underneath our photo the brochure says, ‘Portugal’s premiere holiday apartment complex’. We are twenty luxury apartments ‘with stunning views and swimming pool’.
People were happy when they stayed inside us. We loved our families. Most stayed a fortnight. Some returned year after year and we recognised them.
But we’re abandoned and silent now. The pool is empty, and no children eat ice cream in the shade of our veranda. A little boy fell from the balcony of number sixteen on the first floor because our railing broke. He didn’t move. People cried.
It’s not our fault. Tomorrow we’ll be demolished.

Amberlie Robinson with ‘At the Bus Stop’He wore silver braces to keep his Harlequin trousers suspended. On his feet he sported battered Converse trainers, rubber soles hanging at the toe. A striped sock was visible on his left ankle; however it appeared that his right ankle was bare. Perhaps it was out of solidarity with the foot that his chest was also naked. His arms had escaped this indignity as they were enshrouded in a moth-eaten woollen cardigan.
The man sat at the bus stop every day. He never got on the bus. Nobody ever spoke to him. He was a complex character.
To be avoided.

*

Karen Lawrence with ‘Death of a God’She first spotted her mark strutting towards the pier. A good-looking man followed by a couple of lesser mortals.
‘Oh sorry,’ she purred as her manicured hand reached for the last Magnum in the freezer. ‘Did you want this one?’
‘Yes, er no … please you have it.’
Later, in a dimly lit restaurant, he chose a booth, dismissing his minders with a hubristic flick of his hand.
He talked about himself, his achievements. On and on.
As she pulled him close, readied the blade to slip between his ribs, she whispered, ‘My boss is right, you’ve a god complex.’

Jennie Cordner with ‘First Steps’My layabout husband never worked but he wrote the rules, dictating economy and control.
I had two pairs of shoes: one for wear and a pair for spare. They lived in the hallstand.
Organising children, chasing dreams, I attempted to keep my complex world in order.
However, one evening, totally exhausted, my work shoes stayed where I stepped out of them.
The next morning, I found them rigid with cold, hidden in the freezer.
Softening the leather over the gas burner, I realised Preston had taught me a lesson.
I didn’t need shoes to walk.
So, I kept on walking.

*

Terri Mertz with ‘Writing for the Masses’A compound sentence is made up of two simple sentences joined by a conjunction. Complex sentences contain an independent clause and at least one dependent clause. A compound-complex sentence is comprised of more than one clause joined by a conjunction, with at least one of those clauses being complex. In other words, it is a compound sentence with a dependent, or subordinate clause. So, if a person gets on a bus at 9 am traveling 50 miles per hour going to Newark, and stops for lunch twice, what color are the bus driver’s eyes, and where are the survivors buried?

Honourable mentions (not winning anything but only narrowly missing out and still looking good on their CV) – in alphabetical order:

Celia Jenkins with ‘The Complex Nature of Middle Children’

Ian Marshall with ‘Regional News’

Jane Sleight with ‘Complex and Ex’

Lestie Mulholland with ‘In a Flash’

*

Congratulations, everyone. The entries for this month are already drifting in. Remember, you can send up to three per month so rather than miss out on a chance by sending one story, do submit more.

If you’ve enjoyed these stories and / or just want to leave a comment, please do so below and / or you can email me at morgen@morgenbailey.com., although I won’t (can’t) discuss forthcoming entries unless it’s a general query.

Hello everyone. Last month I received 29 entries from 17 authors. One was disqualified for only being 99 words because it was 100 words including the title. 😦 Another for being 98 words (100 including the title) which was a real shame because it was the author’s only entry and a newbie to this competition.

The winning stories are ones that I reacted most favourably to. They were clever, surprising, eek-making (in a good way),or gave me a warm fuzzy feeling (without being sickly). A tougher mix this month so

You may have chosen a different order or indeed not placed one or more of them so if you entered and didn’t find your story / stories here, don’t lose heart. You probably only just missed out so do enter new stories this month*, next month, whenever you like (but not in advance!). It’s an ongoing competition and free, so you could win at any time. There were new and familiar names this month so anyone could win… it’s all dependent upon whether your story grabs me, for whatever reason (whether it be clever, funny, unusual, quirky, or sweet).

Apart from the top three and highly commended, there are some ‘Honourable Mentions’. They don’t win anything but they were so close to being Highly Commended that I wanted them to know how close they came. It’s still something for them to put on their CVs.

She had always known she was not the same as everyone else. At school she was on her own at lunchtime or in the playground, the last to be picked for sports teams, the only one not to have a boyfriend.

Her mother told her that a time would come when being different would be a good thing.

She waited patiently.

When the epidemic struck, killing all those around her, she was left untouched.

She prayed that it would take her too, but here she was, standing alone surrounded by a sea of carnage, once again the one left over.

*

Patricia Cooksley with ‘Dad’s Café’

What would you call a new café on the Costa Del Sol?

It was Dad’s idea to call it ‘Las Sobras’, which he composed from the initials of his six grandchildren, as he wanted them to help out in their holidays in exchange for lodgings.

It had been his life’s ambition to develop a cafe in Spain and now, in his semi-retirement, ‘Las Sobras’ opened on a busy promenade in Fuengirola.

To his dismay, the café was not patronised.

While drowning his sorrows at a neighbouring bar, amidst peals of laughter, Dad learned the translation of his café’s name: leftovers.

Honourable mentions (not winning anything but only narrowly missing out and still looking good on their CV) – in alphabetical order:

Bridget Scrannage with ‘Time to Leave’

Diana Hayden with ‘Plenty for Everyone’

Ian Marshall with ‘Silence’

Terri Mertz with ‘The Apprentice’

Congratulations, everyone. The entries for this month are already drifting in. Remember, you can send up to three per month so rather than miss out on a chance by sending one story, do submit more.

If you’ve enjoyed these stories and / or just want to leave a comment, please do so below and / or you can email me at morgen@morgenbailey.com., although I won’t (can’t) discuss forthcoming entries unless it’s a general query.

Hello everyone. Last month I received 21 entries from 13 authors. Two were disqualified for only being 99 words. Four stories (from two authors) were submitted twice so the first versions were counted, the second deleted. I don’t know if they were the same but the rules state the first is the one that goes through to judging. There were a handful of stories where I was expecting (hoping) for a twist but none came. They can work really well so do considering giving your story a twist and the later the better: at least the final sentence if not, where possible, the final word for an “Ooh!” reaction.

The winning stories are ones that I reacted most favourably to. They were clever, surprising, eek-making (in a good way),or gave me a warm fuzzy feeling (without being sickly).

You may have chosen a different order or indeed not placed one or more of them so if you entered and didn’t find your story / stories here, don’t lose heart. You probably only just missed out so do enter new stories this month*, next month, whenever you like (but not in advance!). It’s an ongoing competition and free, so you could win at any time. There were new and familiar names this month so anyone could win… it’s all dependent upon whether your story grabs me, for whatever reason (whether it be clever, funny, unusual, quirky, or sweet).

Apart from the top three and highly commended, there are some ‘Honourable Mentions’. They don’t win anything but they were so close to being Highly Commended that I wanted them to know how close they came. It’s still something for them to put on their CVs.

Albert looked at his long gnarled fingers stretching out in front of him he picked up the spoon. It wasn’t good enough this broth of potatoes and peas. Pushing the spoon away, he swore grabbing hold of his shaggy grey beard.

Life had to become more exciting. He never got caught, mutilated bodies lined the odd passage. Grabbing someone from behind, dragging his nails inside their windpipe, one push before the fat trollop could scream. A grin appeared on his lips.

They saw him sitting in the library, watching, waiting sometimes. He raised a bushy eyebrow and smiled at life.

Congratulations, everyone. The entries for this month are already drifting in. Remember, you can send up to three per month so rather than miss out on a chance by sending one story, do submit more.

If you’ve enjoyed these stories and / or just want to leave a comment, please do so below and / or you can email me at morgen@morgenbailey.com., although I won’t (can’t) discuss forthcoming entries unless it’s a general query.